


According to Him

by Jimaine, Thren



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Catharsis, Engagement, M/M, Orzhov Parties, Ral Zarek is an unapologetic Troll, Ral is a living tens unit, Shenanigans, post war of the spark, so much catharsis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 06:56:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19458742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jimaine/pseuds/Jimaine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thren/pseuds/Thren
Summary: Ral and Tomik's engagement is finally set to be made proper and official. But with the Orzhov, doing anything 'properly' is a production, and things only get more complicated when Ral unexpectedly runs into an old flame at the ceremony.Ral has way too much fun at other people's expense.Mistakes of the past shed light on the present.Two thoroughly smitten idiots are still in love, and the question of how many coins Ral will suffer being put in his hair is finally answered.





	According to Him

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so here's the T. I wanted to like Elias, I really did. I just came off the stucky community so the idea of the adorable bohemian artist and his boyfriend who takes care of him appealed to me, but! There were just too👏many👏things👏that didn't sit right with me in the third chapter. Mostly it was just the bit where Ral was thinking only a little longer until Elias makes good on his promises. That sounds less like lovingly supporting your poet boyfriend and more like putting in your dues for an eventual pay off. Then my buddy started laying in on it and at first I was like dude you're being a bit harsh but the more points he brought up the less I could refute them. For one, there was absolutely nothing in that apartment that screamed Ral. All the knick knacks and whatever were Elias' and Ral didn't seem to be fond of them so much as putting up with things he didn't think much of. He described them as splatters of paint and blobs of clay. Also he described them as coming from Elias' friends, not their friends, a small one there, but still bugged me. In their relationship Ral seems to be the breadwinner as it were. He pays for their apartment and feeds them and assumedly most everything else and yet the only extraneous expense is paper for Elias. Now I'm not saying it isn't sweet as hell that Ral wants to make sure his creative boyfriend gets the necessary tools to not only feed his creative tendencies but also to hone his craft which will hopefully lead to more income. However, in a balanced and healthy relationship they would trade off, don't you think? Elias gets less paper but Ral also gets to indulge in some of the things he likes. Now even with all this at the end of the third chapter I was pretty sure I was just being a pessimistic bitch and reading waaaaay too much into little things. It all seemed like the likely conclusion to this little teenage romance would be that Bolas somehow horribly kills the adorable little green haired bohemian boyfriend in a super traumatic moment to awaken Ral's spark. I also figured if Bolas had straight up murdered someone Ral loved in a horrific way before, then Ral's freakout in WotS when he was looking for Tomik not only made more sense it also added even more depth to that scene which I was totes into. However! After reading chapter four where Ral groups Elias in with all the things he's gotten past, I'm not so sure any more. You'd think if he had died in a horrible and traumatic way, Ral would have thought of him differently. You 'get past' a bad ex, not the murdered love of your life. Anyway, I wrote most of this as a pure indulgence fic for my buddy before the fourth chapter actually came out. I wasn't even sure I'd post it but we all had so much fun with it I figured why not? That's the point of fanfiction anyway. It's also a little for my girl EveryDayBella who wanted some Ral/Tomik wedding stuff. Also this fic was absolutely inspired by the song According to You by Orthani. So anyway, without further ado, here it is; enjoy y'all!

Ral wandered around the grounds, nodding politely to the various Orzhov party-goes and dignitaries as they passed him, most of them gossiping not so subtly behind their hands rather than giving him an acknowledging nod back. The big question of course being 'why had the Izzet guild master been invited to the presentation of Tomik Vrona's fiance'. Ral chuckled to himself. According to Tomik, it was tradition not to discuss these things in public before the presentation, though usually word got around anyway. Tomik, however, wasn’t usual; apparently the announcement that he had been dating someone, let alone had a fiance had come as a shock to most of his family, aside from his parents who they’d told beforehand. That had been an interesting 'dinner'. Ral had been half worried it would be a complete disaster, in spite of Tomik's assurances otherwise. He’d worried Tomik's parents would only 'approve' of Ral because of his position. Which he of course was fully prepared to use if necessary. Being one of the ten most powerful people on the plane did have its perks.

But… he hadn't needed to. Tomik's parents had actually… liked him. They'd said they thought Ral was good for Tomik, that they'd never seen him happier. They had... accepted him, just for him, and the fact that he made their son happy. Ral was _still_ reeling over it. But they had also agreed that telling the rest of the family would best be left for a later time. Then Ral had proposed and later had become now, and in a few more hours all their questions would be answered, in spectacular fashion.

It had been weeks now since Ral had gotten down on one knee and proposed, and Tomik had given him a _very_ enthusiastic yes that had kept them in bed for the next day and a half. It had finally taken a goblin blowing up half of the main elemental lab to force Ral back to work but even after that, they'd existed in a happy little bubble for almost a week. A beautiful, blissful bubble of just the two of them, right up until Tomik had been begrudgingly forced to pop it with Orzhov tradition.

Tomik had asked him what kinds of traditions he practiced and what was important to him, to which Ral had just shrugged. The Izzet didn't much go in for ceremony and as for Ral personally… well with his mother dead and his dad probably dead he didn't have much to add. As for Tomik… They’d had several long talks wherein Ral had come to see that even if Tomik wasn’t himself that invested in a formal presentation ceremony, he was very much invested in how much one would mean to his parents. Not to mention that not doing it would create more problems than either of them were willing to deal with. So with Ral not especially caring and Tomik’s parents caring very much, that had left them with 100% Orzhov. He knew it was going to be an ordeal. The Orzhov never did anything simple, but he had prepared himself for that, had known it was going to be like that even before he proposed.

Or at least he’d thought he had.

Ral glanced around at the goings on, at the way the servants flitted this way and that, making preparations. He really had thought himself prepared for it. And he _was,_ more or less... he just hadn't been prepared for how _much_ of it there was. He’d been prepared for the ceremony to be a pompous overblown ordeal… but not for it to be a three day party that only _started_ when they were presented as a couple to the family. And he’d been prepared for the necessity of being dressed up far beyond his normal tolerances, but not for the news that ‘being made presentable’ would entail surrendering himself to the ministrations of a fleet of Orzhov attendants for over three hours.

He shuddered to think of what a full Orzhov wedding would actually entail. But first they had to get through the engagement party.

He _had_ offered to help with the preparations, but Ral was woefully underskilled when it came to party planning. He’d thought perhaps today he could find somewhere to be of use with the actual party execution, but in the process of 'helping' It had been very politely suggested that he 'find something else to do' by his ghostly soon-to-be mother-in-law. Ral was still getting used to the idea of spectral inlaws.

Since he could hardly nip back to his lab before he was due to be primped and pressed like some syndicate noble, he had opted to stretch his legs around the grounds and explore the bizarre reality of Tomik’s ‘vacation home’. Somehow he wasn’t even surprised to find a place this grand wasn't even their main residence. They were fancy enough to have a whole damn tower in Orzhova itself. _This_ was just where they went to entertain or, as Tomik had put it, to 'get away'. Of course by now the guests were arriving and preliminary party activities—which were apparently a thing—were underway.

He’d ended up in the gardens, perhaps spurred by some sentimentality of the occasion. What would the younger him have thought, if he could go back and tell him where he would end up? Not just recognized by the Izzet league, but _leading_ it. Not just making his mark on the world but damn well _saving_ it, and instead of watering the gardens of the rich and powerful, he would end up owning one, and married to a man he loved to such a degree he could hardly contain it—a man who, more baffling still, seemed to truly adore him back.

Ral stepped off the path, ducking under a lush tree branch and idly brushed water off the leaves of an orchid growing artfully from one branch. He knew all too well how easily lingering water could cause the lovely but infamously delicate flowers to rot. The whole garden was freshly damp, and he wondered idly to himself who had watered these plants in preparation for the party he was scheduled to be the focus of. He chuckled, imagining that younger him wandering the paths, and shook his head. “You’ll do okay, kid,” he murmured.

Yeah, he was definitely feeling sentimental. But he felt the prospect of celebrating spending the rest of his life with Tomik allowed him some leeway in that respect. Maybe this whole ridiculous party wouldn’t be so bad…

“Ral Zarek?” came a startled voice from back on the path. 

Ral rolled his eyes at the orchid. The party would definitely be better if he could spend more of it daydreaming about Tomik and less-to-none of it having to talk to future in-laws. Holding in a sigh, Ral turned on the grass and raised an eyebrow at the scandalized figure standing on the stone path; a matronly woman who was wearing so much chalky makeup Ral wondered if she was trying to raise her status by appearing dead early. “Guildmaster Zarek, actually,” he corrected her mildly, and wiped the water off on the side of his shirt. “And you are?” he asked, trying to be polite. He was supposed to be helping, after all. The woman curled her lip as she looked him over, from his now-muddy boots to his frazzled hair. It probably had a couple leaves in it.

Once upon a time Ral would have quailed under such a look, seething inside even as he bowed his back and lowered his eyes to seem humble. Somehow his recent thoughts of those days only made the fact that he bowed to no one now all the headier. He returned her disapproving gaze with a smirk, Izzet-scorched tunic and leaves in his wild hair and all. She couldn’t touch him. No one could, whatever he chose to look like and whatever he chose to do. 

His reaction, or rather, his utter lack of one, seemed to catch her off guard. She took one small step back and then sputtered, “Who am I? I am Tomik’s great aunt Margita duchess of Woreczek and I require an explanation as to what you are doing at a formal Orzhov event such as this. And barging through the garden of all things...” she said, somehow managing to look down her nose at him despite him being taller. Ral just found it amusing.

He made a show of looking around the little patch of greenery he was standing in, and then pointed at himself. "What am _I_ doing here?" His grin turned into a smirk. "Well me, I was _personally_ invited."

The ‘duchess’, who Ral was making an educated guess had received the generic family invite, narrowed her eyes slightly and made a heavy ‘hmm’ing noise in the back of her throat that was laden with the most concentrated form of noble umbrage and weaponized disapproval Ral thought he had ever witnessed. “Yes,” she said with a frown. “I’ve heard of Tomik’s little stint at playing diplomat; all of that distasteful business with the zombies and the-”

"War," Ral finished bluntly leaving her absolutely no wiggle room. "Yes. We did get quite close, what with saving the world and all. Remind me now, what is it _you_ lot were doing at the time?"

This time the woman outright glared, but didn’t rise to his bait. “As I was _saying_ ,” she continued pointedly, “I hadn’t thought he would have taken it so far as to extend invites to his fiance’s presentation ceremony. There are standards to uphold, after all. I mean, what's next, the _Gruul_? Oh… no offence, of course.”

"Of course," he said with a tone of such forced kindness only an idiot wouldn't hear the falseness of it. "But I have to say, during our time working together I found Tomik quite… impressive," he went on with a smirk. Perhaps he was taking it too far but the old biddy had it coming and she wasn't likely to pick up on the subtext, too consumed with her own bias. _He_ was certainly amused by it. "In fact all of us were quite taken with him, including your own guildmaster." Ral raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to push the matter further.

“Yes, well,” the woman sniffed, not seeming terribly impressed by the mention of Kaya either. “Perhaps he should be thinking about making a good impression with his _own family_ a bit more. Or with his family-to-be, for that matter." Ral went a bit stiff at the mention of his own family, not that the woman had any idea she was talking about him. He wondered though, if his lack of family would play in to their prejudices. Not that it would make one bit of difference. Still, the idea of opening himself up to that kind of condemnation… that moment… waking into a packed ballroom filled with all the people most important to Tomik's life and allowing them to pass judgment on him… it made his stomach churn. "The word is," she continued blithely on, taking absolutely no notice of Ral's minor hesitation, "that his match is to be a very advantageous one, and the last thing he needs is to jeopardize it by making... ill-considered choices that risk embarrassing himself and his family. The boy needs to remember what is important, as I’m sure you’ll agree.”

Ral's attention snapped immediately to the present at her words. "I'm sure I don't," he said coldly. "And I'm sure his _fiance_ wouldn't either."

“His _fiance_ is exactly the one I’m thinking of,” she snorted, her haughtiness rising to new and uncharted extremes. “And I’m sure you’ll forgive me, _Guildmaster_ , but you are hardly in a position to speak on what will or will not offend this powerful man who is considering an alliance with our Tomik.”

"And neither are you," he shot back. "And I won't. You Orzhov and your rules and need to control every damn thing you see. Did it ever occur to you that _maybe_ Tomik's fiance loves him for who he is and it isn't your damn place to meddle?" he snapped.

“Tomik is Orzhov! _I_ am his _family_ and you have _no right_ -” she began, but Ral went right over top of her.

"Oh,” he said with fierce glee, “I have _every_ right to speak on what Tomik's fiance will and won't think as I-" Ral felt a firm hand land on his shoulder, jogging him out of his angry rant, and his words froze in his throat.

"Master Zarek," came the voice of the perpetually bored looking butler Tomik had introduced him to when they first got there. Ral winced. Damn. He'd definitely let himself get carried away. It _was_ amazing being in a position where he had nothing to fear from people like this, but what did it say about him if all it took was someone getting under his skin for him to lose his cool? He knew Tomik had very sound reasons that his family not find out until the ceremony, and he’d almost blown it in his need to put this woman in her place. He turned over his shoulder and found himself looking into the most joyless and unamused eyes he had ever seen. Ral swallowed. Yup, he was definitely in trouble. "Please come with me," the butler said simply, then turned on his heel to walk away.

Ral frowned deeply, but he couldn't argue that it would probably be best for everyone if he was suddenly somewhere else. He turned away from the old bag and caught her small satisfied huff. It grated on him hard that it took everything Ral had in him not to spin around and lay into her again. But things _were_ different now. It wasn't just him and his demons anymore; if it had been, he never would have let up. But now he had Tomik to think of as well. As he followed after the butler, it suddenly occurred to him that just like the party, maybe he hadn’t been as prepared for that as he’d thought.

~*~

Ral ruefully allowed himself to be shoved into the servants’ quarters. Well, they weren't _really_ quarters. Tomik's family was wealthy enough that the servants had their own houses on the estate grounds. And there were a lot of grounds. And so, within this massive structure Tomik referred to as their getaway home, this room was really more of a servants’ 'waiting area', if it was anything. But it was in the house proper, so he supposed that was why it was deemed an acceptable spot to keep him out of the way and hidden until the 'big reveal'. Ral half wondered if Tomik's ultimate goal with all of this was to kill his great aunt with shock. Not that he would be complaining, and from what he heard no one liked her.

Ral gave the butler a rather grumpy look as he was 'escorted' inside, though the man didn't seem to be perturbed by it. Ral wondered if Lavinia had been an Orzhov butler in a previous life.

"Now do try to stay here and not get into any more trouble." He went to leave, but turned over his shoulder to add, "And don't speak to anyone."

Ral rolled his eyes and turned into the room, shaking his head and resigning himself to waiting nicely until the time the insidious Orzhov clothiers were ready to bear him away. He started to look around the simple—by Orzhov standards at least—room. When he saw the room contained another occupant he was brought up short. When he realized he _recognized_ the other occupant, he did his absolute damndest not to groan. "You have got to be kidding me," he said more to the wall than to the man himself. Because why not? Why, mere minutes after he’d had a flash of doubt about his ability to give Tomik what he deserved, would the universe not add insult to injury by confronting him with the one man he’d never been able to be good enough for? Because why wasn't today just the perfect day to have it out with his ex?

"Ral??" The man asked more confused than anything, though perhaps a touch incredulous.

Ral clicked his tongue before he responded. _Technically_ he'd been told not to talk to anyone, though realistically he knew that was meant to apply to the various nobles and upper crust who had been invited to the 'presentation'. Still, he could be an ass about it if he wanted; Tomik would probably approve of his use of technicalities. And it would get him out of what, he was absolutely certain, would be an awkward conversation.

On the other hand, Ral had never been much for doing as he'd been told. "Yeah?" he finally answered as though just responding to his name rather than confirming his identity.

"What are you doing here?" exclaimed Elias.

"Apparently staying out of trouble," he quipped, and futzed with the scorched end of his tunic, glaring at the door. He wondered absently what the attendants would do with it after they changed him. Gods, was he really entertaining the idea of letting someone, multiple someones, bathe and primp and clothe him? He groaned inwardly, he certainly hoped Tomik knew just how much Ral loved him because that was asking a lot. "So how long have you been in the tenth?" He finally asked, just to cut the silence.

Elias smiled softly. "Just this morning." He held up his folder of papers.

"Business?" Ral surmised with a raised eyebrow. Well this was going to prove interesting.

Elias nodded. "Yes, you remember the count?"

Ral nodded with a little grimace that quickly turned into a smile at the realization that he was superior to that man and all in his house in every way imaginable now.

"Well, his youngest apparently fell in love with one of his cousins, not an uncommon occurrence among the Orzhov I've been made to understand."

Ral nodded knowledgeably. He'd heard So. Many. Stories from Tomik it almost defied logic. Well, no, it _definitely_ defied logic. Ral wasn't much of a geneticist but even he knew that wasn't the way to make a strong family line.

Elias continued, "Well, he engaged _my_ services to write letters filled with his admiration for her.” Elias puffed up his chest, though Ral noted he didn’t actually say anything about the pair getting together. “Anyway, it would seem she is also cousins with the heir to the Vrona house, and when he became engaged and he had a need for a poet, she showed him a few of my letters. They were obviously not written by the man himself," Elias said with a conspiratorial air. Ral fought not to roll his eyes. But then something clicked together in his head.

"Hold up,” Ral said, raising one hand. “So what you’re saying is Tomik hired you to write him some poetry… for his fiance." Ral had to pull on every bit of self restraint he possessed not to laugh at the absurdity of this situation.

"Yes," Elias said a little haughtily. "And you would do a lot better if you referred to your superiors more formally Ral, no wonder you're still getting into trouble."

"Oh, I see we're pulling out all the old arguments," Ral noted, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall. It was an interesting experience, having this old debate. Especially now, considering there weren't many Ral would consider his 'superiors' left on Ravnica. It was also becoming abundantly clear that Elias had _absolutely_ no idea. The official announcement about Ral taking over the guild hadn't been made yet and while, yes, Ral was quite well known within the tenth, that kind of news rarely made it out to the more 'rural' parts of Ravnica.

"I'm only trying to help,” Elias protested, “I was only ever trying to help." He said it seriously, maybe even believed it. Though there was that same old undercurrent that told Ral implicitly that the one Elias was trying to help first and foremost, as always, was himself. Elias was worried about being associated with someone who could potentially jeopardize his position. Ral scoffed; if he only knew.

"I've done just fine for myself on my own," Ral replied, keeping his tone simple. It was hard not to throw it in Elias' face, but doing that would ruin all the fun he was having. And the gods knew, right now with ‘the party’ imminent, he could use some of that.

"Yes I can see that. Still watering gardens for the rich and powerful?" Elias looked pointedly up at the leaves still in Ral's hair.

Ral's lip twitched in a rueful smile before he brushed the leaves off onto the floor. "...Something like that. And how about you. You've finally made it here, to the heart of arts and music. Are you satisfied?"

"Yes, thanks to these," he waved the papers he was holding.

Trying to conceal his amused smirk, Ral reached out for the poems. "Do you mind?"

Elias shook his head and pulled the papers back. "I'm... not supposed to show them to anyone until the master's had a chance to see them."

"Who am I going to tell?" Ral asked innocently, letting none of the irony of that statement leak through to his expression.

"Well. I _suppose_ it wouldn't hurt, if it’s just you," Elias said. He handed the papers over to Ral who took them and leafed through the pages.

He couldn't have counted the times he'd asked Elias to write him a poem. Something romantic, something profound, something… well anything really, but Elias had always said he needed to focus his muse on furthering his position. ‘For the both of them’, he’d always said. And now here Ral was, finally getting what he’d wanted and it was all so laughable it felt like some kind of strange, surreal dream.

As Ral read the pages he very nearly did laugh. It was all so very Elias. With the perspective of time, Ral could evaluate it objectively; generic flowery prose that could have been about anyone, though with just enough personalization it was clear notes had been given regarding the subject of the poetry, i.e. himself. It wasn't bad by any means, and it was clear Elias had also gone a long way to improve his craft, but reading it Ral felt no emotional response. He knew that the same poem, had it been handed to him years ago while he and Elias were still together or even shortly after they'd broken up, would have brought up all kinds of feelings in Ral but now… Ral literally felt nothing. Neither positive nor negative. A part of him knew the poems were a commision from Tomik and he should be evaluating them with that in mind, but he was also pretty sure the only reason Tomik had commissioned it in the first place was out of an obligation to tradition. That, and since Ral knew who the writer of the poetry was, it made it difficult for him to read it thinking in terms of Tomik. He did wonder if he would have recognized the writer just from reading the words had Tomik given these to him as he intended.

Finishing up Ral handed the folder back to Elias who was smiling proudly. Of course he was. "They’re good," he said.

Elias nodded taking back his papers. "Thank you. Though you were never much for literature, I appreciate your compliment. Of course it only really matters how the subject feels about it," he fretted. It was subtle, but Ral still recognized his old tics.

Ral stood there a long moment, honestly not sure what it was he should do. He could try to reassure him, but that wasn't really his job any more. Not to mention without explaining himself, which he wasn't ready to do just yet, his reassurance wouldn't amount to much. Ral sighed, and tried another path. "You're angling for a permanent position in the Vrona household," he said. It was an easy logical progression. Elias had wanted to be in the tenth for a long time, just as Ral had, something they'd had in common. Of course how to go about getting there had always been something of a point of contention between them.

Elias nodded. "Yes. I've only been here a few hours and yet I know this is where I'm meant to be." He said it so earnestly and Ral couldn't help the nostalgic smile that passed his lips. He could remember that exact same feeling the first time he'd set foot in the central district. "How long have you been here?" Elias asked, pulling Ral out if his thoughts.

"Me?" Ral looked up, meeting his eyes. "I came here just after you…" he trailed off and a short moment of uncomfortable tension passed between them. "I’ve been here ever since," he finished.

"Hmm…" Elias opened his mouth, presumably to ask another question, when the door burst open and Tomik came flowing in, and Ral did mean _flowing_. He was dressed to the nines with a billowing cloak that seemed to have a mind of its own. Ral had to stifle yet another laugh. Then he was again reminded that it would soon be his turn, and suddenly it wasn't quite so funny. Tomik swept right past him, not expecting Ral to be in the servant 'room', and went straight for Elias.

"My apologies for making you wait, I- " he turned, suddenly noticing Ral from the corner of his eye.

Ral smirked and waved his fingers as Tomik's expression changed. There it was.

"Ral!? What are you doing in here?"

Ral shrugged. "The butler shoved me in here. I'm supposed to be staying out of the way and not talking to anyone, which I've now broken... twice," he said rather cheekily.

Tomik groaned, though Ral could see his eyes were smiling. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Ral protested. "I was having a perfectly polite conversation with your Great Aunt who was getting upset for no reason at all. Something about me ‘barging around the garden’."

Tomik rubbed his temples. "Ral," he sighed. "You're supposed to be keeping a low profile."

Ral raised an amused eyebrow. "Have you _met_ me?"

Tomik considered that for a moment then he chuckled, rubbing his neck. "Fair," he agreed. "So what are you doing now?" he asked.

"Assumedly waiting for them to come and take me away for my punishment," Ral said rather theatrically.

Tomik rolled his eyes, _hard_. Of course Elias couldn't see the expression as Tomik was facing Ral. "You make it sound as though they're going to bathe you in acid," he said dryly. Dry enough that someone who didn't see his expression and didn't know him might not take it for a joke. Ral had to bite his lip to stay quiet.

"They might as well be," Ral quipped back noticing the mostly-sympathetic-but-definitely-not-enough-to-speak-up-for-him look Elias gave him. It was all so hilariously horrible and Ral wasn't going to correct it even if it killed him.

Tomik turned towards him fully, an amused sort of affection in his eyes, and Ral melted. Gods, he loved this man... Elias definitely noticed, which seemed to only further fuel his confusion. "I told you all along how this was going to play out," Tomik said lightly, gently picking one more tiny leaf out of Ral’s hair. "I'm sure you can handle it."

Ral scoffed, rolling his eyes, but the adoring look Tomik was giving him was all he needed to remember that all this, all of it, was for them.

“Promise me you’ll behave?” Tomik prodded him gently, and Ral sighed dramatically, but nodded.

“I promise, I promise. I’ll be good the entire time, from start to finish,” he assured. And yes, Ral could handle it, if this was the price he needed to pay in order for their engagement and eventual marriage to run smoothly for Tomik then he would gladly do so. For all that, it was a small price to pay indeed.

But he wasn't going out there with coins glued to his hair. There he drew the line.

With a soft smile Tomik turned back to Elias, his features shifting seamlessly to business. Ral felt a shiver down his spine. Tomik in work mode _always_ did it for him.

"May I see what you've brought?" He held his hand out for the folder and to his credit Elias managed to hastily compose himself, handing the papers over.

"Y-yes, of course sir. I've made several versions for your consideration."

Tomik nodded distractedly, reading through the poems. This time Ral couldn't quite stifle his laugh. He knew Tomik wouldn't notice, too absorbed in his reading, but Elias shot him a death glare that could melt steel. It only made Ral want to laugh harder.

When Tomik pulled out a pen from who knew where and started scratching notes in the margins, Ral saw Elias' whole body go stiff. If Ral's biggest flaw had been not being properly respectful to authority than Elias' had been not being able to take any gods damned criticism. Ral had spent hours reading over Elias' poetry, having been asked to ‘critique’ it. It had not taken him long to realize Elias didn't actually want criticism—constructive or otherwise—he only wanted adoration, which at the time Ral had been happy to give. Looking back at things now, it was obvious they'd never really been good together. Not like things were with Tomik. He and Tomik not only supported each other, they _listened_ to one another. Ral trusted Tomik implicitly, and that trust had always been vindicated. Even if he didn't have all the details, if Tomik told Ral something was important to do Ral damn well did it and knew the rest would be sorted out later, and it went both ways. He had never had that with Elias.

And now… well. Ral supposed he shouldn’t have enjoyed watching Elias squirm as much as he did, but at the end of the day, Ral was a man of simple joys. 

"So," Ral started smoothly, "you commissioned poetry?" He craned his neck trying to see what Tomik was writing, but got a sharp glare for his efforts and Tomik angled his body away from him.

"You know, this is _slightly_ awkward, having you here." Ral just offered him a shrug and Tomik rolled his eyes making another note. "I didn’t get it for you, you know," he added absently. "Tradition dictates -"

"I know," Ral said cutting him off. He'd already surmised as much. But then, because Elias was still making those confused faces, and because Ral knew how Tomik would respond and knew exactly the conclusions Elias would draw from it, he added, "But it's a _little_ for me," in a very cheeky tone.

Tomik smiled not looking up, still scribbling on the pages. "It is a love poem after all," he said.

Ral would have fallen over laughing if he hadn't already known it was coming. Elias' jaw might as well have been on the floor.

Ral winked at him.

"Master Vrona," a servant appeared at the door to the room.

Tomik turned to her, pen in hand, and pushed his glasses back up his nose with one finger. "Hm... Yes?" he asked, clearly still in mid thought. Ral had to remind himself firmly that he couldn't throw Tomik to the ground in the middle of the servant quarters and molest him while there were people watching. That was if he could even _get_ to him with all the hundred and fifty layers he was obviously wearing. But if he fussed with his glasses like that again Ral wasn't responsible for his actions.

The servant bowed appropriately before continuing. "I'm sorry to bother you sir, but there appears to be a…" she paused, searching for the right words uneasily. She obviously hadn’t been working for Tomik long, or she would know she didn’t have to be so careful. The people in Tomik’s employment didn’t have to worry about incurring rage or violence from bearing unwelcome news. As far as Ral had seen, the worst they had to fear was perhaps being politely corrected if they said something that was factually or grammatically incorrect.

"Misunderstanding," was the word she finally settled on. "Regarding your mother and the uh… flower arrangements." The poor girl looked quite nervous and Ral instantly felt for her, even knowing she had nothing to worry over. Serving a new household was always a nerve racking experience. She was lucky to have found a good one though, and that knowledge eased the tension in his chest tremendously.

Tomik for his part groaned, his head lolling back on his shoulders. "Again? We've been over this a hundred times," he said with no little frustration. Reaching his hand back he rubbed his neck again, making another long suffering sound. Ral frowned. Tomik had been doing that a lot since he arrived.

The girl started to stammer a response, and Tomik immediately took notice. He righted himself and smiled softly at her. "I’ll go see what my mother has to say. Thank you for the message. Miss…?" Tomik waited, and it took her more than a few moments to realize he was actually asking for her name.

"Oh! Pria!" She said quickly, and Tomik smiled again.

"Thank you Pria." She bowed again and scurried away. Tomik snapped the folder shut and turned back to Elias. "I'll be a moment, we can conclude then." Turning back to Ral Tomik chuckled, shaking his head. "And you," he began.

"I know," Ral said putting up his hand, "stay out of trouble."

Tomik smiled as he left the room and Ral watched him go, an adoring smile of his own plastered helplessly on his face.

It broke a few seconds later when Elias turned on him. "Are you _sleeping_ with the master of the house?!" he hissed.

Ral turned on Elias, grinning his most unrepentant grin, and crossed his arms nonchalantly. "If I am?"

"Ral!" Elias snapped at him, voice shrill. "What are you thinking?! You can't honestly be expecting some sort of star-crossed-lovers scenario to work out with your respective positions?!" It was all Ral could do not to laugh. Elias was not wrong. They had certainly had more than their share of difficulties navigating that, but not for the reasons Elias thought. "Besides, he's engaged!" Elias continued. "To a very powerful man, I understand!"

"Oh? Is that so?" This time Ral couldn't help the amused laugh in his voice. Clearly it only served to further upset Elias.

"You're not stupid, Ral. If _I_ know how these things work, then you must be aware too!"

"Oh, I am _very_ aware of how powerful Tomik's fiance is," Ral assured him.

"Are you?!" Elias demanded. "He's supposed to be some kind of brilliant inventor, and can even control _lightning_ ! That's a far sight from tinkering and _rain_." He finished harshly.

Ral just smiled, leaning on the wall again. "I would have to agree with that."

"And what exactly do you think will happen to your little affair after he's married?" Elias prodded.

"Well,” Ral deadpanned, “I hear the sex life tanks after marrage but I think we'll be alright."

"Ral! You have to take this seriously!" His laid back attitude seemed to be only making Elias more upset. "I know things hardly ended well between us, but that doesn't mean I didn't care for you. Think about what you're doing. Stop and consider the repercussions of your actions."

Despite himself, he couldn’t help but hear echoes of Tomik’s great aunt in Elias’s words, both of them trying to manipulate and convince those close to them that they had to behave in a certain way in order to succeed. He found himself wondering just how much that had to do with Tomik's decision to keep ‘the news’ under wraps until today. He hadn’t realized before just how much they had that in common. "Oh trust me," Ral smirked, no longer willing to buy into that particular myth, "they have been _fully_ considered."

Elias didn't look convinced, but he didn't get a chance for rebuttal as Tomik reentered the room. He strode directly to Elias, handing him back the folder. "Please make these changes before tomorrow. I've arranged rooms for you in the outer servants’ quarters. It should be a quiet place for you to work."

Elias went stiff again and though Ral was certain Tomik noticed, he didn't say anything. He wouldn't. Tomik was nothing if not kind and fair to the people who worked for him. But he also had expectations, and he expected anyone he entered into business with, of whatever sort, to hold up their end with professionalism. He didn't have time for wounded pride or hurt egos, and even less for drama. If he wanted something a certain way, and he was paying for it, then that was exactly what he was going to get. But Elias didn't do well when someone tried to 'compromise his art'. It was clear he wanted to say something, but was aware enough to hold his tongue. If he was still the person Ral knew all those years ago—and judging by his expression, he was—he was probably thinking something along the lines of 'how dare this pompous aristocrat who knows nothing about arts and literature try to correct me'. He was almost certainly underestimating just how well read and educated Tomik was, not like the wealthy and frankly lazy clients Elias would have worked for back in Tovrna. Ral gave Elias a knowing smirk, which earned him a glare.

"I thank you for your hard work. Now I'm afraid I have about a million things I need to attend to." He turned to Ral, giving him a longing glance, one Ral understood all too well. But with a little smile Tomik turned away rubbing his neck again.

Ral called out to him just before he moved to go. Tomik had a bad habit of holding stress in his neck. If he kept on it would only get worse, and probably lead to a pretty bad headache.

Hearing his name Tomik looked up at Ral, who smiled, holding up his hand. He wiggled his fingers at Tomik invitingly, raising an eyebrow playfully. Tomik turned and damn near collapsed, full body, into Ral's chest. Ral grunted making a small "oof," sound at the impact and steadied Tomik, working his fingers into Tomik's neck. He added a gentle current, flowing between his fingertips and through Tomik's tight muscles. A shiver ran down Tomik's back and he groaned as the muscles started to relax.

"This is the only reason I put up with you," Tomik mumbled, his words muffled against Ral's shirt. Ral couldn't help the soft, affectionate laugh he made. When he looked up to see Elias' wide eyes the laugh turned into a real one. He fully intended to replay this moment fondly in his mind for months to come, and he had absolutely no apologies for that.

Tomik groaned again softy, his shoulders rolling under Ral's touch. But then slowly, regretfully, he started to pull away. Ral wanted to pull him back in but he knew Tomik had things to do. He _wanted_ to help. This whole damn hoopla was supposed to be for _them_. But 'helping' was how Ral had gotten himself shoved into the servant closet so maybe it was for the best that he leave things be for now. He did pull Tomik into a short kiss however, and felt a jolt of amusement at Elias' horrified face. It took him a concerted effort not to laugh into Tomik's mouth.

But as Tomik pulled away Ral saw the legitimately stressed look in his eyes, and suddenly the game wasn't so much fun anymore.

"Tomik," he took Tomik's hand, and did pull him back into his chest. Tomik didn't struggle but there was a chagrined look on his face as he nuzzled into Ral's neck. "I'm sorry I can't do more than just rub your neck." He rested his head over Tomik's insanely soft hair and wrapped both arms around him.

Tomik chuckled against him. "You're doing what you're supposed to be doing."

"Staying out of the way," Ral finished for him.

Tomik nodded. "Besidess, I'm the one putting all of this on us."

Ral shook his head pulling him close. "If it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you, I'm happy to do it. I mean that."

"Ral I -"

Ral pulled him up into a much deeper kiss, with a hand on Tomik's cheek. This time when their lips met there was no one else in the room for Ral but Tomik. They kissed and kissed again, holding each other close. Finally Ral pulled back and rested his forehead against Tomik's, closing his eyes. "I'm fine with this. Yes, okay, it may not be my first choice of how to spend an afternoon, but you are _so_ worth it, and so much more besides, so don't you dare say you're sorry," he chided gently. He took a deep breath, running his thumb across Tomik's cheek. Tomik snuggled against him, resting his hands to Ral’s chest. Somehow Ral’s worry about how Tomik’s family might view him earlier now seemed trivial. How much more stressful must all this be for Tomik, who actually knew these people? Ral had had enough trouble dealing with one Elias, Tomik was scheduled to face down a whole room full of them. "Even if your family doesn't approve, there isn't a damned thing they can do about it. It's going to be alright."

"I know," Tomik mumbled in the direction of Ral’s chest, probably not even convincing himself.

Ral put a finger under Tomik's chin, drawing him up to meet his eyes. "It will be," he said with soft conviction. Then added after a beat, "And even if its not and everything goes down in flames... there's always elopement."

Tomik laughed, a real honest laugh, the first one Ral had heard from him all day. "Is it too late to do that instead?"

Ral laughed too, kissing Tomik on the forehead. "We're almost there," he said, rubbing his hand up and down Tomik's back.

Tomik nodded. "A place for us," he answered.

Ral nodded back. "You and me..."

"...for the rest of our lives," Tomik finished. They both smiled and Ral kissed him once more, softly, before stepping back.

Tomik looked up at him, brushing a piece of Ral's hair behind his ear. "I love you, Ral Zarek."

Ral smiled, taking Tomik's hand and kissed his knuckles. "I love you too. Now go take care of our presentation. I promise to behave."

Tomik's smile brightened his whole face as he took a step towards the door. "You'd better," he warned playfully.

Ral waved him off and a moment later Tomik was gone, the door closed behind him.

He’d completely forgotten the room’s other occupant when he heard Elias exclaim from behind him, “ _You’re_ marrying him!” Ral turned, and the look on Elias' face was absolutely priceless. Ral's face split into a grin. "You're marrying _him_!?"

"I am," Ral said, nodding as more pieces visibly fell into place. He smirked.

Elias stared at him for a solid five seconds, and Ral gloried in every moment of it. But all at once Elias’ face twisted from shock into something sour. "...How could you?” he said. _“You?_ After all your railing against their kind, the rich and the powerful, privileged and spoiled, after all _that_ you're _marrying_ one of them!? And _him_ ?! He’s the worst kind!” Ral’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but Elias ranted on, “Putting on a pretty face and then trampling over the souls of those in his power,” he said, shaking the marked up pages Tomik had left, “and worse! Do you have any _idea_ the things his family has done? The slums they've owned, the _factories_. And here he sits all safe and cozy, just soaking in the benefits of it, not risking a thing while he lords above us all?!"

Ral pushed off the wall, sparks lighting his eyes and grounding on the surrounding furnishings. Elias backed up quickly, properly cowed, and Ral let himself feel a small rush of satisfaction from that. "Don't you _dare_ speak ill of him. _He_ isn't his family, and since he's come into more power, he’s worked for change. No, things aren’t perfect; not by a long shot, but they’re better. He's working, _hard_ , everyday, to do better for the people around him, and _you_ don't get to judge him when you don't even know the first thing about who he is or what he’s done." Ral took a deep breath his fist clenching at his side as he thought of that still-raw fear he’d felt racing across the Tenth only to find Tomik not in their apartment. The terror he’d felt every moment Tomik was missing, and how proud Ral had been when he found out all the things he'd accomplished. He remembered seeing Tomik wielding a gods damned _sword_ trying to defend their home alongside all of their friends… that same overwhelming mix of pride and terror welling up in him all over again at the memory. "You don't know him. You don't know the lengths he went to or the risks he chose to take defending you and everyone else on this world while we were being invaded by an eternal army of zombies, while _you_ were back _home_ experiencing none of it. You don’t get to speak to his character, not ever."

Finding his voice again, Elias scoffed. Ral knew he made an impressive show when he turned it on, but regardless of what had happened between them, they both knew Ral would never hurt him. "You're a hypocrite,” Elias whispered. “For someone who so loathed to humble himself to the rich and influential, here you stand, willing to whore yourself out to one in order to marry up into the power you’ve _always_ craved."

Ral's lips curled in a snarl. "Don't speak as though you know me anymore. I've been through a lot since we split ways, and everything I have, I have _earned_." An attendant entered the room, hesitated when she read the tense air, but then opened her mouth to speak. Ral put up his finger, stopping the woman cold without a second thought. He did so in a way that made it abundantly clear, he was a man accustomed to being obeyed. The look on Elias' face made it all worth it. "And I'm not marrying up," he finished. "He is."

Ral lowered his hand and glanced to the woman, who bowed. "Guildmaster Zarek?"

Elias stood, stunned, as the realisation dropped, the last puzzle piece finally clicking into place as understanding slowly dawned. A near feral grin split Ral's face.

"Guildmaster..." Elias repeated softly.

"Of the Izzet league,” Ral confirmed. “Not that you would know. The announcement hasn't been officially made, but it's just a formality. I've been guildmaster for months now, and I proposed to Tomik two weeks ago.” He tilted his head, one more thought occurring to him, and he grinned at Elias. “And the only opinion on those poems that matters… is mine. Not that I know anything about literature." The grin turned into a smirk and Elias' mouth fell open. For the first time Ral could recall, Elias looked like he was completely out of things to say. As exhilarated as Ral felt, some part of him realized that even having this out after all these years, even proving, explosively, to Elias that he’d become everything Elias had never believed he could… it didn’t change a thing.

It _did_ make Ral feel pretty damn good, but he didn’t actually _need_ Elias’ acknowledgement. It genuinely didn’t matter to him anymore. There was an unexpected catharsis to realizing that nothing was actually any different now than it had been when Elias thought he was a deadbeat gardener whoring his way up for power. Between that and seeing the edges of Tomik’s own carefully held fears, Ral suddenly knew there was a very important way he could help with the party after all. He could be there if Tomik needed him, ready to smother any and all whispers of doubt that might rear their heads with his adoration. He would be there for the man who somehow always saw the best in him, who he loved nearly more than he could contain, and help him face down his demons. They were going celebrate their engagement so that someday soon they could get _married_ and then spend the rest of their lives together. And nothing, _nothing_ , not Tomik’s great aunt not Elias not _anything_ could ruin his mood today. He knew now that he’d have no problem getting through the rest of the day, his spirit as untouchable as his person.

Unfortunately the rather pushy maid picked that moment to decide she'd waited long enough to finish her errand.

"Guildmaster Zarek," she said, and to her credit there was only a _touch_ of irritation in her voice, "Your baths are ready."

Ral's smile fell abruptly into a look of rueful consternation. Wait, had she said 'baths', plural?

~*~

The attendant placed the last of the platinum coins into his hair. She'd chosen platinum rather than gold since they would better match the white streaks he had, or so he'd been told.

Ral had endured, sullen and silent throughout the entire _five hour process._ There had been baths (yes, baths _plural_ ), there had been soaps and scrubs and people touching him in places they had no business touching him because they _weren't_ his fiance, thank you very much, and how did Tomik even put up with this? And then an _army_ of servants had dried and dressed him, though those had only been robes while they got him the rest of the way ready, not the _actual_ clothes he would be wearing though they had damn well looked fancy enough. Then they'd cut and scraped at his nails, 'shaping them' as he'd been told, applying some kind of translucent polish while his hair had been rather forcefully wrestled into cooperation. They'd even shaved him, and Ral had found he didn't particularly care for the sensation of someone else wielding blades around his face. Though then they’d smeared stuff on his skin that actually felt pretty nice so at least that part he was cautiously okay with. Then they had _actually_ gotten him dressed only to fuss and primp him all over again, because the clothes made a mess of everything else. But they couldn't put the clothes on first apparently because _gods forbid_ they get any of that crap on the fine silks and fabrics, but it was somehow okay for his face?! But finally, thankfully the heard had died down to just one woman delicately placing the aforementioned platinum coins in his hair.

As the last attendant _finally_ moved away and beckoned him to stand, Ral found himself thinking it could have been worse. They had respected his allegiance to his own guild at least, offering him clothing made up primarily of red and blue fabric. Though where his usual wardrobe featured black accents these had white. At least they weren't solid gold, so he counted that as a win.

He stood, and looked at himself in the mirror. It was _exactly_ what he would imagine the Orzhov would expect the Izzet guildmaster to look like, so much so it was almost laughable.

"It’s finished," the 'Head Primper' said as if she had just completed some ancient and sacred ritual. He supposed at this point the difference was negligible. With a bow she stepped to the side beckoning at the door. "Your fiance will meet you at the grand entrance to the ballroom."

Ral smiled, looking himself over one more time. “It’s finished?” he repeated, looking at the offending glints of the coins adorning his carefully painstakingly tamed and carefully slicked back hair in an intricate pattern. “The entire process is complete?”

“Indeed,” the woman replied, and that was all the confirmation Ral needed. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair sending a jolt of carefully modulated electric current through the abnormally soft strands. The metal coins conducted perfectly, zinging from his hair in spectacular fashion as it frizzed back up to its normal unruly state. Ral smirked, content in the knowledge there was no time to fix it now as he turned to leave the room. As he walked past the sputtering woman who had painstakingly placed each and every coin over the last hour, he managed to feel at least a _little_ guilty.

Tomik was indeed waiting for him at the grand entrance, which was, by definition, grand. He looked splendid as ever, though it seemed the gold sparkly paint they rubbed around his eyes had been touched up. Ral had probably smudged it when they'd kissed earlier. The biggest difference however was that he wasn't wearing his glasses, though even so he recognized Ral immediately, and doubled over laughing when Ral got close.

"You look adorable," Tomik chuckled, pulling him into an embrace. Ral wrapped his arms around Tomik's still shaking shoulders and smiled down at him.

"I'll never give you crap ever again for what you go through," Ral lamented.

Tomik pushed in, giving Ral a gentle kiss and then reached up, touching his hair. He raised one eyebrow. "Ral...?"

"I only promised to behave for the duration,” Ral said honestly, holding up one hand. “She said she was done, and I was _absolutely_ _not_ coming out here with coins in my hair."

Tomik's head tipped back and he laughed. "So you, what? Let them put the coins in your hair for hours only to zap them all hither and yon the second they said you were finished?" Ral smiled, Tomik knew him all too well. "How did the poor attendant react when you did that?"

Ral did look a little sheepish about that. "She was surprised, but fine. I did feel bad spoiling all her hard work. I _tried_ to tell her, but she was very insistent and I _did_ promise to behave."

Tomik chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned into Ral's shoulder.

Though a moment later he pulled back, something else clearly occuring to him. "Speaking of behaving," he started. "What _was_ that with you and the poet? The poor man seemed properly horrified. What did you say to him?"

Ral smirked but held in his laughter. "That was all you, love."

"Me?" Tomik asked incredulously. "I was nothing but cordial to him."

"Yes you were, but he didn't realize I was the finance."

"Who else would you be?" Tomik protested, frowning.

"The gardener… and your mistress," Ral said frankly, then broke into a laugh when Tomik sputtered.

"Wha-why would anyone think the _Izzet Guildmaster_ would be _my_ mistress?!"

This time Ral could barely answer for how much he was laughing. "He didn't know that," he finally managed through chuckles. "To him I was just his ex lover who would never amount to anything. It was priceless to see his face when your maid called me Guildmaster."

"Your what?!" Tomik asked, a horrified look crossing his face. "Are you saying I commissioned love poetry from your ex boyfriend?!" His voice squeaked at the end and it was adorable.

"Yes," Ral said fondly, "you did."

Tomik groaned, tilting his head back. "...Of course I did. Because why wouldn't I," he laughed. Then he fell into Ral’s chest and groaned again. "Where am I going to get another poet before the reading tomorrow," he lamented.

Ral rubbed his back, wrapping an arm around Tomik's waist. "Don't be so hard on yourself. And you really don't. It's not his fault we used to live together and he's already done the work. You said yourself the poem doesn't really matter, and besides, I got a great deal of amusement out of it," he smirked.

Tomik nodded and pulled back, forcing a smile. "I suppose you're right. It still feels… awkward, presenting you with a poem about my love for you that was written by your ex."

"To be fair, he didn't know he was writing it about me when he wrote it."

Tomik tilted his head in acquiescence, but didn't seem fully convinced. "I honestly wasn't that enamored of his work to begin with but my cousin so wanted to be helpful, and I knew you weren’t particular and it seemed being from such a faraway district his work would come at a good price."

"So wait,” Ral teased gently, “You bought me _discount_ poetry from my ex?"

"Okay first," Tomik started, "We’ve established I didn't know he was your ex, and second... yes. The only reason I did it was because of tradition. Every time poetry has ever been brought up around you you've scoffed and been completely disinterested.” he frowned. “Though now I'm thinking it's more about this and less the fact that you categorically hate poetry."

Ral considered a moment, and finally gave a sideways nod in agreement.

There was a moment of contented silence before Tomik took a slow breath. "Are you ready?" He asked softly.

Ral took his hand, squeezing tightly, and rested it against his chest, leaving it there so he could wrap both arms around Tomik. After another moment he nodded "As much as I can be. You?"

Tomik gave a wan smile, pushing up for a soft kiss. “As long as you’re with me,” he said.

That, Ral could do. “Always,” he answered. They both took a deep breath and stepped back. Ral saw a subtle shift behind Tomik’s eyes, the tension draining out of him as he reached out, taking Ral's hand. "Let's go shock the pants off your relatives." He grinned and Tomik smiled back, then they walked through the doors, hand in hand, together.


End file.
